Columnar submersible pump system

ABSTRACT

A columnar submersible pump system for use in a pump station having a wet well, the pump system including a vertical discharge control column with a support structure that is connected to the bottom of the wet well of the pump station to support the vertical discharge control column in the wet well, a submersible pump operably connected to the bottom of the vertical discharge control column in which the discharge control column has an internal conduit, wherein the submersible pump has an intake locatable above the bottom of the wet well, and the internal conduit has a flow control valve and a flow meter located in the internal conduit in the vertical discharge control column, wherein flow of liquid in the vertical discharge control column is controlled and measured.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application incorporates the subject and priority of my U.S. Provisional Patent Application US 61/626,620 filed Sep. 30, 2011, entitled, Submersible Pump Installation Column.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The columnar submersible pump system of this invention relates to submersible pump systems utilized at wet well pump stations. Conventional submersible pump stations, for example at a sewage treatment plant, typically include one or more wet wells for collection and processing of liquids and slurries. Other submersible pump stations have varied use where liquid, particularly contaminated water, is collected in a containment structure for transport elsewhere in a piping system.

By definition, a submersible pump includes a pump that is submersed in the liquid and operates most effectively when submersed. When employed in a wet well, the submersible pump is usually submerged when operational and the wet well includes controls to manage the water level in the wet well. In this manner activation of pump operation typically is automatic and begins when the water attains a set high level and ceases when the water reaches a set low level, or cavitation is sensed. In this manner the optimum operating conditions for the pump are maintained to maximize the longevity of the pump.

In the conventional submersible pump station, an example of which is disclosed in the drawings and specification, the containment structure often includes a wet well into which the pump is immersed, and a valve vault that is a dry chamber for containment of the flow control valves. In addition to the expense of a separate chamber for the valve system, the valve vault complicates construction and impedes inspection or replacement of the submersible pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a submersible pump system for a pump station that includes a wet well for collection and discharge of liquids and slurries and has particular application to waste water treatment plants where large volumes of contaminated water are processed. The columnar submersible pump system of this invention is particularly adapted for larger sized piping systems where field assembly of component parts is required for traditional systems. In the columnar submersible pump system of this invention the components for regulating the liquid flow are incorporated into the columnar structure of the conduit apparatus, thereby eliminating the need for a separately constructed valve vault. This advantage also eliminates the expense of field assembly of the control valve system and its connection to the discharge piping from the submersible pump.

The columnar submersible pump system may include a single or multiple submersible pumps each with a vertical column component. The dual pump system of the preferred embodiment is described to illustrate ganging multiple pumps with vertical column components and inherently includes a single pump system. The description also includes a brief description with drawings of the customary prior art system for comparison and for illustrating the typical system that can be replaced by the improved submersible pump system of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a prior art pump station with a dual submersible pump system.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the prior art pump station of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a pump station with a submersible columnar pump system of this invention.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the pump station with the columnar pump system of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The columnar submersible pump system of this invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 3 and 4. It is distinguishable from the conventional submersible pump system 12 shown in the Prior Art illustrations of FIGS. 1 and 2, as briefly described in the following paragraph. Where an element or component is the same for the prior art system and the improved system the same numeral is used for consistency.

Prior Art Submersible Pump System

In the prior art submersible pump system 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pump station 14 is constructed with a containment structure in the form of a wet well 16 and an adjoining valve vault 18. The submersible pump system 12 has two submersible pumps 20 located at the bottom of the wet well 16, each pump 20 having a pump intake 22 positioned above the floor 24 of the wet well 16 on support stand 26. The support stands 26 are connected to pairs of guide rods 28 that are secured to the top lip 30 of the wet well 16. Each submersible pump is connected to a base elbow 32 that in turn is coupled to a vertical discharge pipe 34 acting as a riser to the valve vault 18. The discharge pipe 34 is coupled to a top elbow 36 that in turn is coupled to a horizontal pipe 37 that penetrates the wet well wall 38 to the valve vault 18, where a connected check valve 40 and isolation valve 42 are located. Pipe fittings 44 and 45 interconnect the two subsystems for each pump 20 into a single pump installation discharge pipe 46 for transport of pumped liquid or slurry to another location.

Invented Submersible Columnar Pump System

In the columnar submersible pump system 10 of this invention, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pump station 50 has a containment structure in the form of a wet well 52 that is simplified in construction by dispensing with the valve vault 18. The submersible pumps 20 in the columnar submersible pump system 10 are each connected to the bottom of a vertical discharge control column 54 with the pump intake 22 positioned above the floor 24 of the modified wet well 52. The two pumps 20 and connected discharge control columns 54 incorporate pairs of guide rails 56 that include at their lower end a dropped pump catch system 58. This may be any of a variety of conventional systems including a simple wedge action of the terminal ends of the paired guide rails 56.

The discharge control column 54 is connected to a support base 60 that seats on the floor 24 of the modified wet well 52 allowing the entire submersible pump installation column assembly 62 to be installed as a unit. The base 60 is secured to the floor 24 during installation by a fixed connection allowing the discharge control columns 54 to be raised separately or together on guides (not visible), or by a releasable connection allowing the entire assembly to be raised for inspection or repair. Connectors 64 at the top of the vertical discharge control columns 54 secure the columns to the top lip 66 of the wet well 52 and provide stability to the unit. Disconnection of the connectors 64 is naturally required for removal of the entire assembly 62 as a unit. Alternately, the base 60 can be connected to the wall of the wet well 52 with the pump intake 22 positioned well above the wet well floor 24.

Internally, each vertical discharge control column 54 contains an internal conduit 68 with an upper check valve 70, an intermediate flow meter 72 and a lower mixing valve 74. At the top of each of the vertical discharge control columns 54 is an electrical junction box 76 in which the electrical systems 78 (not shown) are contained for operation of the two submersible pumps 20 and the electronically controlled valves and meters. The flow meter 72 allows the liquid flow in the internal conduit 68 to be monitored with feedback to the flow control valve 74, particularly when mixing fluids from the dual vertical discharge control columns 54 of the preferred embodiment.

The submersible pump installation column assemblies 62 in the preferred embodiment are interconnected by a cross connector 80 located above the check valves 70. The cross connector provides a passage that acts as a manifold and a mixer for a single discharge pipe 82 through the wall 84 of the compact wet well 52 for transport of pumped liquid or slurry to another location as in the conventional system.

Preferably, the vertical discharge control columns 54 and guide rails are fabricated from stainless steel to minimize sparking in hazardous environments such as when in use in a raw sewage pump station. With the submersible pump installation column assembly 62 being installable in a minimal sized wet well, the field installation is expedited. Furthermore, the safety features of the guide rail system avoids severe damage to submersible pumps during initial installation and servicing from lifting cable failures. With the electrical junction box 76 located at the top of the vertical discharge control columns 54 servicing and connection to a power source is convenient.

Although it is intended that a submersible pump installation column assembly is installable in a wet well with a single vertical discharge control column, the inclusion of an isolation valve 85 in the column enables flow control that makes the system particularly advantageous for use in tandum as described in the preferred embodiment. Incorporation of a flow control valve and a flow sensor in each of the dual columns below the cross connector enables strategic mixing, for example when the wet well is divided by a baffle or baffles into two or more containment chambers to mix a slurry with a waste water stream.

It is to be understood that modifications and changes to the invention disclosed in the preferred embodiment may be made or incorporated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims that follow. 

1. A columnar submersible pump system for use in a pump station having a liquid containment structure comprising: a vertical discharge control column having, a top and a bottom wherein the bottom has support structure that is connectable to the liquid containment structure of the pump station to support the vertical discharge control column in the containment structure, a submersible pump operably connected to the vertical discharge control column wherein the discharge control column has an internal conduit and the containment structure has a bottom, wherein the submersible pump has an intake locatable above the bottom of the containment structure, a flow control valve located in the internal conduit in the vertical discharge control column, wherein flow of liquid in the vertical discharge control column is controllable, and a flow meter located in the internal conduit in the vertical discharge control column, wherein flow of liquid in the vertical discharge control column is measured.
 2. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 1 wherein the vertical discharge control column has a check valve in the internal conduit above the flow control valve and flow meter.
 3. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 1 further comprising a guide assembly, wherein the guide assembly has a base support structure connectable to the liquid containment structure and engageable with the vertical discharge control column to support the discharge control column in the liquid containment structure.
 4. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 1 wherein the vertical discharge control column has a pair of guide rails engageable with the vertical discharge control column.
 5. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 4 wherein the guide rail assembly has a dropped pump catch system for avoiding damage to a dropped submersible pump.
 6. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 1 wherein the pump station has a discharge and the vertical discharge control column connects to the discharge of the pump station.
 7. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 1 in combination with a second vertical discharge control column, wherein the pump station has a discharge and the two vertical discharge control columns are connected together and have a common discharge to the discharge of the pump station.
 8. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 7 wherein the two vertical discharge control columns are connected together by a mixing conduit that connects to the discharge of the pump station.
 9. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 7 further comprising a guide assembly that supports and guides the vertical discharge control columns in the containment structure of the pump station.
 10. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 7 wherein the tops of the two vertical discharge control columns each have an electrical junction box for controlling the operation of the two submersible pumps.
 11. The columnar submersible pump system of claim 7 having multiple vertical discharge control columns. 